Hungry Ghost Day

All posts tagged Hungry Ghost Day

This is just a quick post to remind you that the Hungry Ghost Month this 2017 is happening on August 22, 2017 to September 19, 2017. The eve of the Hungry Ghost Festival is on Sept. 4 and Hungry Ghost Festival or Hungry Ghost Day is Sept. 5.

The Hungry Ghost Festival is also known as the Zhong Yuan Festival in Taoism and Yu Lan Pen Festival in Buddhism. This is the day we pay respects to the deceased by making some offerings. This is also the day where you can do the Ullambana Ritual, which I introduced to my readers last year.

It is said that all ghost, especially the hungry ghosts, will come out of hell during the Hungry Ghost Month, and it is said that they are strongest on the eve and on the festival day itself. The festival day always happens on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month. This is why the 15th day of the 7th lunar month is called Hungry Ghost Day and the 7th lunar month is called Hungry Ghost Month.

The Chinese, especially the older generation have the custom of making offerings to their dead relatives and to their ancestors, but also to all hungry ghosts. The Hungry Ghost Festival is considered as one of the most important date in the Chinese tradition.

As mentioned the Chinese believes that during the Hungry Ghost Month (sometimes simply called Ghost Month), the gates of hell will open to allow the hungry ghosts to go back to our world. During this time, they will roam around our world to eat with us. Because of this they also bring about a lot of negative energies and may cause bad luck and illness and accidents.

To help ease the sufferings of the hungry ghosts, and to avoid causing bad luck to us, the Chinese usually perform ceremonies on the eve of the hungry ghost day, but a lot of Chinese, also make offerings all throughout the hungry ghost month. They will set altars for them and chant mantras or recite sutras that will help give merit to the hungry ghosts. . Monks often throw rice or some small foods into the air to distribute them to the ghosts.

On the evening of the Ghost day, people also make lanterns and float them on the river to help their relatives find their way back to home. The lanterns are usually lotus flower-shaped with light or candles. Some people also write their ancestors’ name on the lanterns.

I have written extensively about the Hungry Ghost Month and the Hungry Ghost Festival. If you are not yet familiar with them, I suggest that you check on the link below and read them to know how you can stay safe.

But at this point, allow me to share with you that for this year’s ghost month, while there is nothing extra significant other than what has been mentioned already, people born in the years of the Snake, Horse, and Sheep should take extra precaution because these three signs are already afflicted or side afflicted by the stronger than usual Five Yellow Star or Wu Wang (#5 Flying Star). As a result, they have to be extra careful with their business or financial dealings because money loss is definitely a serious threat during the hungry ghost month. Furthermore, people born under the sign of the Horse and Sheep ( who is also directly affected by the #7 Star of Violence) should take extra care about their safety. Accidents or crime may happen. It is very important the Horse, Sheep, or Snake should have the Vajrapani Ruel and the Ullambana Amulet, which will be sent to me by my Guru Lama in the next few days.

Before I share with you all the other posts that I’ve written about the Hungry Ghost Month, I just would like to remind everybody that it is very important that you should all make sure, whether you are born under the sign of the Sheep, Horse, or Snake, to protect yourself. There is no such thing as over protection.

TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THE HUNGRY GHOST MONTH, HUNGRY GHOSTS, IT’S EFFECTS, RITUALS AND PROTECTION READ THE FOLLOWING HUNGRY GHOSTS SERIES: